HelenBaby’s tips covered a lot of points about getting a meetup group going; I figured I’d make an additional guide to cover some more specifics. A lot of people feel intimidated at the prospect of hosting an event, and so I’m writing this to help folks overcome such anxiety.

Step I. Forming a Meetup Group

This can be done through a variety of ways. The most common way is to form one on Facebook, though theoretically any social media form can work.

Firstly I suggest checking to see if there’s a meetup group already in operation here: http://www.sonic-revolution.net/home/meetups/

Starting a Facebook group is simple – go to an existing group page (such as https://www.facebook.com/groups/sonicrevolution/) and in the upper right, click “Create Group.” Fill in your details and give it an appropriate name related to your location and Sonic – i.e. if you were focusing on all of Canada, you’d best go with “Sonic Canada,” but if you were focused on just Toronto, “Sonic Toronto” would be a better idea. With that, people will be able to easily locate your group.

For easy reference, with Facebook groups, it is suggested you click the Gear in the upper right, click “Group Settings,” and scroll down to Group Address – fill in the URL with something memorable, as Facebook’s default URL for a group is a bunch of numbers that will be hard to remember.

Step II. Spreading the Word

This is where it gets tricky. You must try and get others to find out about your group and any events it will plan. The best way to do this is to use existing groups and pages – get in touch with the various Sonic fansites, Facebook pages, etc. to try and promote your group. If nothing else, join large groups and post about your own group. For example, there are several large Sonic fan groups on Facebook; sharing the word there is a good start, as is mentioning it on forums. Sonic Boom, Summer of Sonic, and other conventions have pages of their own all over the place – these are great areas to find people who would go to your event. Besides your own efforts, feel free to send me a message, whether via PM or directly to my e-mail at ogilviemaurice@gmail.com so that I can help spread the word for you.

Groups take time to grow, but as exposure increases, more people will join up. Once you’ve got a sizable group of people in close proximity, your meetup system will really take off.

With regards to Facebook, it is possible to search people by city and interests, provided these are publicly listed (for example, you could look up everyone who likes Sonic the Hedgehog and All Stars Transformed who resides in St. Louis). You could message these people about joining your group, but use precaution: if you message too many people or your message is considered spam by the people you send it to, you could see your account suspended. If you’re going to contact people you don’t know personally to join your group, make sure your message not only gives a good explanation but is very polite – also personalize the message rather than just copy and pasting. Even if no one considers your message spammy, Facebook keeps tabs on how many messages you send, so do not send too many. As tempting as it is to machinegun invites across hundreds of profiles, it’s also a fantastic way to get yourself banned.

Consider printing or writing cards or flyers you could pass out at another big event that might draw a Sonic-friendly crowd. Anime and gaming conventions are perfect for this. If someone shows a clear interest in Sonic and is local, this is a great way to pass the word onto them so they will join your group.

Step III. Get to know people

While some of us are able to meet up with strangers and carry on conversations easily, for many this is quite awkward. Before hosting meetups, it is suggested you get to know at least a few of the attendees. Any social media form, from Facebook to Instant Messaging, is useful for this. I can speak from experience that it is a LOT easier to converse with someone when meeting them in person if you’ve spoken a few times before online; get to know each other’s likes and dislikes, etc. This is a great way to make sure your meetup is a success.

Within groups, don’t hesitate to exchange alternate contact information: one great idea is to share codes/usernames on online networks such as PSN, XBL, and Nintendo. This allows you to build friendships via some competition. If you feel comfortable, you could even give e-mail addresses or phone numbers, but it’s best these be exchanged via PM for obvious reasons.

Step IV. Planning The Meetup

This is the goal of every meetup group, and while they are easy to set up, you should still keep a few points in mind. Step III already covered how you should try and get to know a few people in your meetup group via online messaging before actually meeting in person, but there are a few more points.

Firstly, choose a time, date and location. While it doesn’t hurt to ask around for good times for everyone, it’s best to make decisions on your own; asking too many people for their input can slow things down considerably. Above all, pick a time, date and location that will be convenient for you – as you will be the host, you want to make sure you can show up. Location is a key detail – be specific on where people meet up (e.g. instead of a neighborhood, say the front of a restaurant or other business). For good attendance, it’s recommended your date be mentioned well in advance, and the location be somewhere affordable and accessible to all members.

Another key detail is make sure that the area you are going to will be FUN for you, even if no one shows up; it is very possible you will have low turnout on your first few meetups, and you should plan accordingly. If you go to an arcade, restaurant, etc. you can still have tons of fun even if you’re alone. Having meetups on weekends is a good idea as many Sonic fans are students who will have free time on those days.

Second, if you have a phone, it is suggested you exchange numbers with regular attendees so that you can easily locate each other. Remember the ultimate point of a meetup is to make more friends with the same interests, so don’t be shy about this part!

Third, if your meetup involves going out to eat or having to pay for any activities, it is suggested you stick with a model where every person pays for themselves. This will keep the events cheap to host down the line.

Fourth, if there are any gaming or anime conventions in your town, definitely consider attending one as a group (or even alone); these are great fun for Sonic fans and you can often find new meetup attendees at the con. Existing gatherings allow you to both have fun as well as increase the size of your own group!

Fifth, in line with the third point, decide what sorts of activities you will have. While it can be a simple activity such as eating or bowling, you could also consider drawing or playing games. Meetups that last several hours will normally have several activities, so consider the example of Sonic London, with its tournaments and such and not just chatting.

Finally, it is suggested you make an event page for your event on Facebook. Simply go to your group, click the Gear, and click “Create Event.” Fill in time, date, location, and other details; it suggested you set the Privacy of the event to “Public” so people not in the group can mark themselves as Going. Finally make sure to check the box that will invite the whole group to the event.

This will create a page where people can discuss the event beforehand, and also give you a link that you can share with people. Be sure to send the link to ogilviemaurice@gmail.com so I can share it as well!

Step V. Hosting the Meetup

The day is here. You’ve promoted and invited, and a decent turnout has shown up. As it was your event, it falls to you to keep things running smoothly.

Hopefully you had a good string of activities planned. When in doubt, you can fall back on old fashioned conversation. Discuss your favorite Sonic games, your favorite characters, above all try and remain positive; Sonic can be a divisive fandom, but be sure to always remain polite in your discussions, even if you disagree. While Sonic is the unifying factor as a group, you can talk to members individually about other things that interest them; a lot of Sonic fans also enjoy Nintendo franchises, for example. What began as a friendship from Sonic can become a full-fledged friendship if you keep finding topics to speak about and things to do.

It is always good to have a close friend who you can fall back on if you’re unsure what to do. Even if your friend is not as interested in Sonic as yourself, they can still be invaluable as they are someone you know well already and can prevent the possible awkwardness of being alone or in a small group.

Above all else, make sure everyone has a great time. If someone seems alone and left out, try and strike up a conversation with them or invite them to join another activity. No one wants to be alone at these events; they wouldn’t come if they did. Making sure every attendee feels welcome and enjoys themselves is good both on a personal level, and in making sure they attend future meets.

Step VI. The Future

So your event is over and was hopefully quite successful. What now?

Plan future events, of course! Depending how close everyone is, you could make your meetups every week, every month, every few months, whatever you decide. It is suggested to space them out a fair bit so as to ensure everyone can get time off and otherwise plan for it. As you regularly meetup, you’ll develop friendships and hopefully gain new members. Don’t hesitate to ask members of the group to bring along any friends with the same interests.

Also consider changing the location of each meetup to keep things fresh. One time it could be a restaurant, another an arcade, another a comic book shop, etc.

Patience is key – it will likely be a while before your group gets really big, but it will be worth it. Always remember to try and hold meetups at places you’d be able to find fun if you were alone, just in case no one shows up. Even if only one or two people show up, it is amazing how much fun you could have; getting to know each other online will help as it will make things less awkward due to your already knowing each other.

With a bit of planning, patience, and effort, you can form a strong, tight-knit group of fans in your locale and never feel alone in your interests.